Which has stronger valuation & earnings, MRK or AMGN?

Merck & Co., Inc. has higher revenue and earnings than Amgen. Amgen is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Merck & Co., Inc., indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks. Company Gross Revenue Price/Sales Ratio Net Income Earnings Per Share Price/Earnings Ratio Merck & Co., Inc. $65.01B 4.94 $18.25B $3.55 36.61 Amgen $36.75B 5.69 $7.71B $14.37 26.98

Is MRK or AMGN more profitable?

Amgen has a net margin of 20.96% compared to Merck & Co., Inc.'s net margin of 13.59%. Amgen's return on equity of 137.41% beat Merck & Co., Inc.'s return on equity. Company Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets Merck & Co., Inc. 13.59% 27.55% 10.73% Amgen 20.96% 137.41% 13.28%

Does the media favor MRK or AMGN?

In the previous week, Merck & Co., Inc. had 14 more articles in the media than Amgen. MarketBeat recorded 66 mentions for Merck & Co., Inc. and 52 mentions for Amgen. Merck & Co., Inc.'s average media sentiment score of 1.15 beat Amgen's score of 1.07 indicating that Merck & Co., Inc. is being referred to more favorably in the media. Company Very Positive Positive Neutral Negative Very Negative Overall Sentiment Merck & Co., Inc. 47 Very Positive mention(s) 4 Positive mention(s) 9 Neutral mention(s) 2 Negative mention(s) 1 Very Negative mention(s) Positive Amgen 33 Very Positive mention(s) 6 Positive mention(s) 8 Neutral mention(s) 1 Negative mention(s) 1 Very Negative mention(s) Positive

Which has stronger valuation and earnings, MRK or GILD?

Merck & Co., Inc. has higher revenue and earnings than Gilead Sciences. Gilead Sciences is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Merck & Co., Inc., indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks. Company Gross Revenue Price/Sales Ratio Net Income Earnings Per Share Price/Earnings Ratio Merck & Co., Inc. $65.01B 4.94 $18.25B $3.55 36.61 Gilead Sciences $29.44B 5.54 $8.51B $7.34 17.89

Does the media refer more to MRK or GILD?

In the previous week, Merck & Co., Inc. had 10 more articles in the media than Gilead Sciences. MarketBeat recorded 66 mentions for Merck & Co., Inc. and 56 mentions for Gilead Sciences. Merck & Co., Inc.'s average media sentiment score of 1.15 beat Gilead Sciences' score of 0.96 indicating that Merck & Co., Inc. is being referred to more favorably in the media. Company Very Positive Positive Neutral Negative Very Negative Overall Sentiment Merck & Co., Inc. 47 Very Positive mention(s) 4 Positive mention(s) 9 Neutral mention(s) 2 Negative mention(s) 1 Very Negative mention(s) Positive Gilead Sciences 34 Very Positive mention(s) 7 Positive mention(s) 7 Neutral mention(s) 3 Negative mention(s) 1 Very Negative mention(s) Positive

Which has preferable earnings & valuation, MRK or MRNA?

Merck & Co., Inc. has higher revenue and earnings than Moderna. Moderna is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Merck & Co., Inc., indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks. Company Gross Revenue Price/Sales Ratio Net Income Earnings Per Share Price/Earnings Ratio Merck & Co., Inc. $65.01B 4.94 $18.25B $3.55 36.61 Moderna $2.20B 10.43 -$2.82B -$8.15 N/A

Is MRK or MRNA more profitable?

Merck & Co., Inc. has a net margin of 13.59% compared to Moderna's net margin of -143.55%. Merck & Co., Inc.'s return on equity of 27.55% beat Moderna's return on equity. Company Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets Merck & Co., Inc. 13.59% 27.55% 10.73% Moderna -143.55% -26.64% -19.32%

Does the media refer more to MRK or MRNA?

In the previous week, Merck & Co., Inc. had 45 more articles in the media than Moderna. MarketBeat recorded 66 mentions for Merck & Co., Inc. and 21 mentions for Moderna. Merck & Co., Inc.'s average media sentiment score of 1.15 beat Moderna's score of 0.70 indicating that Merck & Co., Inc. is being referred to more favorably in the media. Company Very Positive Positive Neutral Negative Very Negative Overall Sentiment Merck & Co., Inc. 47 Very Positive mention(s) 4 Positive mention(s) 9 Neutral mention(s) 2 Negative mention(s) 1 Very Negative mention(s) Positive Moderna 10 Very Positive mention(s) 3 Positive mention(s) 6 Neutral mention(s) 1 Negative mention(s) 0 Very Negative mention(s) Positive

Does the media prefer MRK or VRTX?

In the previous week, Merck & Co., Inc. had 23 more articles in the media than Vertex Pharmaceuticals. MarketBeat recorded 66 mentions for Merck & Co., Inc. and 43 mentions for Vertex Pharmaceuticals. Vertex Pharmaceuticals' average media sentiment score of 1.24 beat Merck & Co., Inc.'s score of 1.15 indicating that Vertex Pharmaceuticals is being referred to more favorably in the news media. Company Very Positive Positive Neutral Negative Very Negative Overall Sentiment Merck & Co., Inc. 47 Very Positive mention(s) 4 Positive mention(s) 9 Neutral mention(s) 2 Negative mention(s) 1 Very Negative mention(s) Positive Vertex Pharmaceuticals 30 Very Positive mention(s) 4 Positive mention(s) 5 Neutral mention(s) 1 Negative mention(s) 0 Very Negative mention(s) Positive

Which has preferable earnings & valuation, MRK or ABBV?

Merck & Co., Inc. has higher revenue and earnings than AbbVie. Merck & Co., Inc. is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than AbbVie, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks. Company Gross Revenue Price/Sales Ratio Net Income Earnings Per Share Price/Earnings Ratio Merck & Co., Inc. $65.01B 4.94 $18.25B $3.55 36.61 AbbVie $61.16B 7.44 $4.23B $2.03 126.88

Is MRK or ABBV more profitable?

Merck & Co., Inc. has a net margin of 13.59% compared to AbbVie's net margin of 5.79%. Merck & Co., Inc.'s return on equity of 27.55% beat AbbVie's return on equity. Company Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets Merck & Co., Inc. 13.59% 27.55% 10.73% AbbVie 5.79% -576.45% 13.39%

Does the media prefer MRK or ABBV?

In the previous week, AbbVie had 8 more articles in the media than Merck & Co., Inc.. MarketBeat recorded 74 mentions for AbbVie and 66 mentions for Merck & Co., Inc.. Merck & Co., Inc.'s average media sentiment score of 1.15 beat AbbVie's score of 0.95 indicating that Merck & Co., Inc. is being referred to more favorably in the media. Company Very Positive Positive Neutral Negative Very Negative Overall Sentiment Merck & Co., Inc. 47 Very Positive mention(s) 4 Positive mention(s) 9 Neutral mention(s) 2 Negative mention(s) 1 Very Negative mention(s) Positive AbbVie 43 Very Positive mention(s) 5 Positive mention(s) 19 Neutral mention(s) 1 Negative mention(s) 3 Very Negative mention(s) Positive

Merck & Co., Inc. (MRK) Competitors

$129.95 -0.41 (-0.31%)

Closing price 07/30/2026 03:59 PM Eastern

Extended Trading

$129.91 -0.04 (-0.03%)

As of 04:20 AM Eastern

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MRK vs. AMGN, GILD, MRNA, VRTX, and ABBV

Should you buy Merck & Co., Inc. stock or one of its competitors? MarketBeat compares Merck & Co., Inc. with other companies and stocks that may be similar based on industry, sector, market capitalization, business model, investor interest, or shared news coverage. Companies and stocks commonly compared with Merck & Co., Inc. include Amgen (AMGN), Gilead Sciences (GILD), Moderna (MRNA), Vertex Pharmaceuticals (VRTX), and AbbVie (ABBV). These companies are all part of the "medical" sector.

How does Merck & Co., Inc. compare to Amgen?

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) and Amgen (NASDAQ:AMGN) are both large-cap medical companies, but which is the better stock? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their earnings, risk, institutional ownership, media sentiment, profitability, dividends, analyst recommendations and valuation.

76.1% of Merck & Co., Inc. shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 76.5% of Amgen shares are held by institutional investors. 0.2% of Merck & Co., Inc. shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 0.9% of Amgen shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, hedge funds and large money managers believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Merck & Co., Inc. has a beta of 0.19, meaning that its stock price is 81% less volatile than the broader market. Comparatively, Amgen has a beta of 0.41, meaning that its stock price is 59% less volatile than the broader market.

In the previous week, Merck & Co., Inc. had 14 more articles in the media than Amgen. MarketBeat recorded 66 mentions for Merck & Co., Inc. and 52 mentions for Amgen. Merck & Co., Inc.'s average media sentiment score of 1.15 beat Amgen's score of 1.07 indicating that Merck & Co., Inc. is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
Merck & Co., Inc.	47 Very Positive mention(s)	4 Positive mention(s)	9 Neutral mention(s)	2 Negative mention(s)	1 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive
Amgen	33 Very Positive mention(s)	6 Positive mention(s)	8 Neutral mention(s)	1 Negative mention(s)	1 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive

Merck & Co., Inc. currently has a consensus target price of $134.50, suggesting a potential upside of 3.50%. Amgen has a consensus target price of $357.00, suggesting a potential downside of 7.90%. Given Merck & Co., Inc.'s stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, equities research analysts clearly believe Merck & Co., Inc. is more favorable than Amgen.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Merck & Co., Inc.	0 Sell rating(s)	7 Hold rating(s)	13 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.65
Amgen	2 Sell rating(s)	15 Hold rating(s)	11 Buy rating(s)	2 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.43

Merck & Co., Inc. pays an annual dividend of $3.40 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.6%. Amgen pays an annual dividend of $10.08 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.6%. Merck & Co., Inc. pays out 95.8% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future. Amgen pays out 70.1% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Merck & Co., Inc. has raised its dividend for 14 consecutive years and Amgen has raised its dividend for 14 consecutive years.

Amgen has a net margin of 20.96% compared to Merck & Co., Inc.'s net margin of 13.59%. Amgen's return on equity of 137.41% beat Merck & Co., Inc.'s return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Merck & Co., Inc.	13.59%	27.55%	10.73%
Amgen	20.96%	137.41%	13.28%

Merck & Co., Inc. has higher revenue and earnings than Amgen. Amgen is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Merck & Co., Inc., indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Company	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Merck & Co., Inc.	$65.01B	4.94	$18.25B	$3.55	36.61
Amgen	$36.75B	5.69	$7.71B	$14.37	26.98

Summary

Amgen beats Merck & Co., Inc. on 10 of the 19 factors compared between the two stocks.

How does Merck & Co., Inc. compare to Gilead Sciences?

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) and Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) are both large-cap medical companies, but which is the better stock? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their earnings, analyst recommendations, valuation, media sentiment, institutional ownership, dividends, profitability and risk.

Merck & Co., Inc. has higher revenue and earnings than Gilead Sciences. Gilead Sciences is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Merck & Co., Inc., indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Company	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Merck & Co., Inc.	$65.01B	4.94	$18.25B	$3.55	36.61
Gilead Sciences	$29.44B	5.54	$8.51B	$7.34	17.89

Merck & Co., Inc. pays an annual dividend of $3.40 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.6%. Gilead Sciences pays an annual dividend of $3.28 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.5%. Merck & Co., Inc. pays out 95.8% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future. Gilead Sciences pays out 44.7% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Merck & Co., Inc. has raised its dividend for 14 consecutive years and Gilead Sciences has raised its dividend for 10 consecutive years. Merck & Co., Inc. is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and longer track record of dividend growth.

Gilead Sciences has a net margin of 30.99% compared to Merck & Co., Inc.'s net margin of 13.59%. Gilead Sciences' return on equity of 48.19% beat Merck & Co., Inc.'s return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Merck & Co., Inc.	13.59%	27.55%	10.73%
Gilead Sciences	30.99%	48.19%	18.28%

Merck & Co., Inc. has a beta of 0.19, indicating that its share price is 81% less volatile than the broader market. Comparatively, Gilead Sciences has a beta of 0.32, indicating that its share price is 68% less volatile than the broader market.

Merck & Co., Inc. presently has a consensus price target of $134.50, indicating a potential upside of 3.50%. Gilead Sciences has a consensus price target of $157.93, indicating a potential upside of 20.30%. Given Gilead Sciences' stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe Gilead Sciences is more favorable than Merck & Co., Inc..

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Merck & Co., Inc.	0 Sell rating(s)	7 Hold rating(s)	13 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.65
Gilead Sciences	0 Sell rating(s)	4 Hold rating(s)	25 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.86

In the previous week, Merck & Co., Inc. had 10 more articles in the media than Gilead Sciences. MarketBeat recorded 66 mentions for Merck & Co., Inc. and 56 mentions for Gilead Sciences. Merck & Co., Inc.'s average media sentiment score of 1.15 beat Gilead Sciences' score of 0.96 indicating that Merck & Co., Inc. is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
Merck & Co., Inc.	47 Very Positive mention(s)	4 Positive mention(s)	9 Neutral mention(s)	2 Negative mention(s)	1 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive
Gilead Sciences	34 Very Positive mention(s)	7 Positive mention(s)	7 Neutral mention(s)	3 Negative mention(s)	1 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive

76.1% of Merck & Co., Inc. shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 83.7% of Gilead Sciences shares are owned by institutional investors. 0.2% of Merck & Co., Inc. shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 0.3% of Gilead Sciences shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, hedge funds and large money managers believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Summary

Gilead Sciences beats Merck & Co., Inc. on 12 of the 19 factors compared between the two stocks.

How does Merck & Co., Inc. compare to Moderna?

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) and Moderna (NASDAQ:MRNA) are both large-cap medical companies, but which is the better stock? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their dividends, institutional ownership, risk, analyst recommendations, profitability, earnings, valuation and media sentiment.

Merck & Co., Inc. currently has a consensus target price of $134.50, indicating a potential upside of 3.50%. Moderna has a consensus target price of $40.00, indicating a potential downside of 30.94%. Given Merck & Co., Inc.'s stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe Merck & Co., Inc. is more favorable than Moderna.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Merck & Co., Inc.	0 Sell rating(s)	7 Hold rating(s)	13 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.65
Moderna	5 Sell rating(s)	10 Hold rating(s)	2 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	1.82

Merck & Co., Inc. has a beta of 0.19, indicating that its stock price is 81% less volatile than the broader market. Comparatively, Moderna has a beta of 0.94, indicating that its stock price is 6% less volatile than the broader market.

Merck & Co., Inc. has a net margin of 13.59% compared to Moderna's net margin of -143.55%. Merck & Co., Inc.'s return on equity of 27.55% beat Moderna's return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Merck & Co., Inc.	13.59%	27.55%	10.73%
Moderna	-143.55%	-26.64%	-19.32%

Merck & Co., Inc. has higher revenue and earnings than Moderna. Moderna is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Merck & Co., Inc., indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Company	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Merck & Co., Inc.	$65.01B	4.94	$18.25B	$3.55	36.61
Moderna	$2.20B	10.43	-$2.82B	-$8.15	N/A

In the previous week, Merck & Co., Inc. had 45 more articles in the media than Moderna. MarketBeat recorded 66 mentions for Merck & Co., Inc. and 21 mentions for Moderna. Merck & Co., Inc.'s average media sentiment score of 1.15 beat Moderna's score of 0.70 indicating that Merck & Co., Inc. is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
Merck & Co., Inc.	47 Very Positive mention(s)	4 Positive mention(s)	9 Neutral mention(s)	2 Negative mention(s)	1 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive
Moderna	10 Very Positive mention(s)	3 Positive mention(s)	6 Neutral mention(s)	1 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive

76.1% of Merck & Co., Inc. shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 75.3% of Moderna shares are owned by institutional investors. 0.2% of Merck & Co., Inc. shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 10.8% of Moderna shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Summary

Merck & Co., Inc. beats Moderna on 13 of the 16 factors compared between the two stocks.

How does Merck & Co., Inc. compare to Vertex Pharmaceuticals?

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) and Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRTX) are both large-cap medical companies, but which is the better business? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their analyst recommendations, valuation, profitability, media sentiment, risk, dividends, earnings and institutional ownership.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals has a net margin of 35.51% compared to Merck & Co., Inc.'s net margin of 13.59%. Merck & Co., Inc.'s return on equity of 27.55% beat Vertex Pharmaceuticals' return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Merck & Co., Inc.	13.59%	27.55%	10.73%
Vertex Pharmaceuticals	35.51%	23.86%	17.13%

In the previous week, Merck & Co., Inc. had 23 more articles in the media than Vertex Pharmaceuticals. MarketBeat recorded 66 mentions for Merck & Co., Inc. and 43 mentions for Vertex Pharmaceuticals. Vertex Pharmaceuticals' average media sentiment score of 1.24 beat Merck & Co., Inc.'s score of 1.15 indicating that Vertex Pharmaceuticals is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
Merck & Co., Inc.	47 Very Positive mention(s)	4 Positive mention(s)	9 Neutral mention(s)	2 Negative mention(s)	1 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive
Vertex Pharmaceuticals	30 Very Positive mention(s)	4 Positive mention(s)	5 Neutral mention(s)	1 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive

Merck & Co., Inc. has higher revenue and earnings than Vertex Pharmaceuticals. Vertex Pharmaceuticals is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Merck & Co., Inc., indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Company	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Merck & Co., Inc.	$65.01B	4.94	$18.25B	$3.55	36.61
Vertex Pharmaceuticals	$12.00B	10.19	$3.95B	$16.86	28.57

Merck & Co., Inc. has a beta of 0.19, indicating that its share price is 81% less volatile than the broader market. Comparatively, Vertex Pharmaceuticals has a beta of 0.29, indicating that its share price is 71% less volatile than the broader market.

76.1% of Merck & Co., Inc. shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 91.0% of Vertex Pharmaceuticals shares are held by institutional investors. 0.2% of Merck & Co., Inc. shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 0.2% of Vertex Pharmaceuticals shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Merck & Co., Inc. presently has a consensus target price of $134.50, indicating a potential upside of 3.50%. Vertex Pharmaceuticals has a consensus target price of $559.61, indicating a potential upside of 16.17%. Given Vertex Pharmaceuticals' stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe Vertex Pharmaceuticals is more favorable than Merck & Co., Inc..

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Merck & Co., Inc.	0 Sell rating(s)	7 Hold rating(s)	13 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.65
Vertex Pharmaceuticals	0 Sell rating(s)	3 Hold rating(s)	22 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.88

Summary

Vertex Pharmaceuticals beats Merck & Co., Inc. on 11 of the 16 factors compared between the two stocks.

How does Merck & Co., Inc. compare to AbbVie?

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) and AbbVie (NYSE:ABBV) are both large-cap medical companies, but which is the superior investment? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their institutional ownership, dividends, media sentiment, risk, earnings, profitability, analyst recommendations and valuation.

Merck & Co., Inc. presently has a consensus price target of $134.50, suggesting a potential upside of 3.50%. AbbVie has a consensus price target of $269.29, suggesting a potential upside of 4.55%. Given AbbVie's stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe AbbVie is more favorable than Merck & Co., Inc..

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Merck & Co., Inc.	0 Sell rating(s)	7 Hold rating(s)	13 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.65
AbbVie	0 Sell rating(s)	6 Hold rating(s)	17 Buy rating(s)	2 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.84

Merck & Co., Inc. has a beta of 0.19, suggesting that its share price is 81% less volatile than the broader market. Comparatively, AbbVie has a beta of 0.3, suggesting that its share price is 70% less volatile than the broader market.

Merck & Co., Inc. has higher revenue and earnings than AbbVie. Merck & Co., Inc. is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than AbbVie, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Company	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Merck & Co., Inc.	$65.01B	4.94	$18.25B	$3.55	36.61
AbbVie	$61.16B	7.44	$4.23B	$2.03	126.88

Merck & Co., Inc. pays an annual dividend of $3.40 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.6%. AbbVie pays an annual dividend of $6.92 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.7%. Merck & Co., Inc. pays out 95.8% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future. AbbVie pays out 340.9% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future. Merck & Co., Inc. has raised its dividend for 14 consecutive years and AbbVie has raised its dividend for 53 consecutive years. AbbVie is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and longer track record of dividend growth.

Merck & Co., Inc. has a net margin of 13.59% compared to AbbVie's net margin of 5.79%. Merck & Co., Inc.'s return on equity of 27.55% beat AbbVie's return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Merck & Co., Inc.	13.59%	27.55%	10.73%
AbbVie	5.79%	-576.45%	13.39%

76.1% of Merck & Co., Inc. shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 70.2% of AbbVie shares are owned by institutional investors. 0.2% of Merck & Co., Inc. shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 0.1% of AbbVie shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, hedge funds and endowments believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

In the previous week, AbbVie had 8 more articles in the media than Merck & Co., Inc.. MarketBeat recorded 74 mentions for AbbVie and 66 mentions for Merck & Co., Inc.. Merck & Co., Inc.'s average media sentiment score of 1.15 beat AbbVie's score of 0.95 indicating that Merck & Co., Inc. is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
Merck & Co., Inc.	47 Very Positive mention(s)	4 Positive mention(s)	9 Neutral mention(s)	2 Negative mention(s)	1 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive
AbbVie	43 Very Positive mention(s)	5 Positive mention(s)	19 Neutral mention(s)	1 Negative mention(s)	3 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive

Summary

AbbVie beats Merck & Co., Inc. on 11 of the 20 factors compared between the two stocks.

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New MarketBeat Followers Over Time

This chart shows the number of new MarketBeat users adding MRK and its top 5 competitors to their watchlist. Each company is represented with a line over a 90 day period.

Media Sentiment Over Time

This chart shows the average media sentiment of NYSE and its competitors over the past 90 days as caculated by MarketBeat. The averaged score is equivalent to the following: Very Negative Sentiment <= -1.5, Negative Sentiment > -1.5 and <= -0.5, Neutral Sentiment > -0.5 and < 0.5, Positive Sentiment >= 0.5 and < 1.5, and Very Positive Sentiment >= 1.5.

MRK vs. The Competition

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Metric	Merck & Co., Inc.	Large Cap Pharma Industry	Medical Sector	NYSE Exchange
Market Cap	$321.97B	$341.58B	$7.04B	$23.53B
Dividend Yield	2.61%	2.59%	2.65%	4.19%
P/E Ratio	36.61	30.47	27.65	30.73
Price / Sales	4.94	5.45	490.18	81.99
Price / Cash	11.41	14.49	51.74	31.18
Price / Book	6.12	8.34	10.05	4.66
Net Income	$18.25B	$11.61B	$3.60B	$1.07B
7 Day Performance	-0.84%	0.67%	0.67%	0.55%
1 Month Performance	1.20%	1.49%	-3.28%	1.58%
1 Year Performance	66.24%	36.69%	24.49%	17.66%

Merck & Co., Inc. Competitors List

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Company	MarketRank	Share Price	Analysts' Price Target	1Y Price Performance	Market Cap	Revenue	P/E Ratio	Employee Count	Indicator(s)
MRK Merck & Co., Inc.	4.554 of 5 stars	$129.95 -0.3%	$134.50 +3.5%	+58.7%	$321.97B	$65.01B	36.61	75,000	Trending News Upcoming Earnings Dividend Announcement Analyst Forecast Analyst Revision
AMGN Amgen	3.9925 of 5 stars	$381.02 +1.3%	$356.62 -6.4%	+28.6%	$205.64B	$36.75B	26.51	31,500	Trending News Upcoming Earnings Analyst Forecast Gap Down
GILD Gilead Sciences	4.9017 of 5 stars	$131.94 +2.0%	$158.33 +20.0%	+14.4%	$163.81B	$29.44B	17.98	17,000	Trending News Upcoming Earnings Analyst Forecast Analyst Revision Gap Down
MRNA Moderna	1.6244 of 5 stars	$56.38 +4.3%	$40.00 -29.1%	+80.2%	$22.37B	$1.94B	N/A	4,700	Gap Up
VRTX Vertex Pharmaceuticals	4.2309 of 5 stars	$485.16 +1.6%	$559.61 +15.3%	+2.7%	$123.13B	$12.00B	28.78	6,400	Trending News Upcoming Earnings Analyst Revision

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This page (NYSE:MRK) was last updated on 7/31/2026 by MarketBeat.com Staff.

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Merck & Co., Inc. (MRK) Competitors

MRK vs. AMGN, GILD, MRNA, VRTX, and ABBV

How does Merck & Co., Inc. compare to Amgen?

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Merck & Co., Inc. (MRK) Competitors

MRK vs. AMGN, GILD, MRNA, VRTX, and ABBV

How does Merck & Co., Inc. compare to Amgen?

Do insiders & institutionals believe in MRK or AMGN?

Which has more risk and volatility, MRK or AMGN?

Does the media favor MRK or AMGN?

Do analysts rate MRK or AMGN?

Is MRK or AMGN a better dividend stock?

Is MRK or AMGN more profitable?

Which has stronger valuation & earnings, MRK or AMGN?

Summary

How does Merck & Co., Inc. compare to Gilead Sciences?

Which has stronger valuation and earnings, MRK or GILD?

Is MRK or GILD a better dividend stock?

Is MRK or GILD more profitable?

Which has more risk & volatility, MRK or GILD?

Do analysts rate MRK or GILD?

Does the media refer more to MRK or GILD?

Do institutionals & insiders believe in MRK or GILD?

Summary

How does Merck & Co., Inc. compare to Moderna?

Do analysts prefer MRK or MRNA?

Which has more volatility and risk, MRK or MRNA?

Is MRK or MRNA more profitable?

Which has preferable earnings & valuation, MRK or MRNA?

Does the media refer more to MRK or MRNA?

Do institutionals and insiders have more ownership in MRK or MRNA?

Summary

How does Merck & Co., Inc. compare to Vertex Pharmaceuticals?

Is MRK or VRTX more profitable?

Does the media prefer MRK or VRTX?

Which has stronger earnings & valuation, MRK or VRTX?

Which has more volatility & risk, MRK or VRTX?

Do institutionals & insiders hold more shares of MRK or VRTX?

Do analysts rate MRK or VRTX?

Summary

How does Merck & Co., Inc. compare to AbbVie?

Do analysts rate MRK or ABBV?

Which has more volatility and risk, MRK or ABBV?

Which has preferable earnings & valuation, MRK or ABBV?

Is MRK or ABBV a better dividend stock?

Is MRK or ABBV more profitable?

Do institutionals & insiders hold more shares of MRK or ABBV?

Does the media prefer MRK or ABBV?

Summary

New MarketBeat Followers Over Time

Media Sentiment Over Time

MRK vs. The Competition

Merck & Co., Inc. Competitors List

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Best-in-Class Portfolio Monitoring

Stock Ideas and Recommendations

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